New Start Centre expands education provision

30 November 2022

An education setting in Brecon has expanded its provision to support learners aged 6-11 overcome barriers to learning, the county council has confirmed.

The New Start Centre, Powys County Council's Pupil Referral Unit in Brecon, has been providing alternative education provision to secondary school-aged learners since 2014. It supports the individual needs of all learners by offering rich learning experiences and nurturing support so that pupils flourish and grow in all aspects of their development.

The centre has now added Key Stage 2 provision for learned aged 6-11 which will enable the council to provide earlier interventions specifically tailored to the emerging needs of learners.

With a dedicated and highly experienced Key Stage 2 team in place, the centre can quickly apply direct and appropriate educational interventions to allow learners to overcome barriers to learning.

Key Stage 2 learners will be able to attend the centre full-time for a 12-week block and, when completed, enter a transition period. After the transition period, learners will then return to their mainstream education setting with the right support in place that will allow them to recover from past experiences and thrive.

Another addition is a dedicated training room that will allow staff at the centre to provide dedicated and bespoke training to mainstream education settings and service providers to upskill and share the latest tools and strategies for managing, addressing, supporting and modifying challenges that learners today not only display themselves but also experience.

Cllr Pete Roberts, Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: "Our Pupil Referral Units promote a bespoke educational provision that supports the individual needs of their learners by offering rich learning experiences and nurturing support so that they can flourish and grow in all aspects of their development.

"I'm delighted that the New Start Centre has expanded its provision to include Key Stage 2 learners. This is an exciting time for the centre and for Powys as it is now one of the very few pupil referral units in Wales that can now cater for learners from 6-16 all on one site.

"The centre will ensure that all learners are well-equipped with the abilities and confidence to move to the next phase of their life and become active members of their community."